#1241: Tanning bed ultraviolet light may be addictive
From World Science:
Link: http://www.world-science.net/othernews/100420_tanningIs indoor [ultraviolet] tanning addictive?
April 20, 2010
Courtesy of JAMA/Archives Journals
and World Science staff
Might gossip magazines soon start featuring tales of TV and Hollywood personalities going into “tanning rehab”?
A new report claims indoor tanning””already linked by studies to cancer and faster skin aging””may also be addictive.
And while the report stops short of recommending rehabilitation for serial tanners, it does suggest “motivational interviewing” and treatment of underlying mood disorders as a way to help those who may be hooked.
Tanners who meet criteria for addiction appear to be prone to symptoms of anxiety and substance use, adds the report, published in the April issue of the research journal Archives of Dermatology.
“Despite ongoing efforts to educate the public” about the risks of both natural and indoor tanning, “recreational tanning continues to increase among young adults,” the authors wrote. While citing no specific chemical process that might cause tanning addiction, they pointed to “the desire for appearance enhancement… relaxation, improved mood and socialization” as factors that keep habitual tanners coming back for more.
“Given these reinforcements, repeated exposure to ultraviolet light used in tanning may result in behavior patterns similar to those observed seen substance-related disorders,” the authors wrote.
The authors, Catherine Mosher of Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center and Sharon Danoff-Burg of the University at Albany, both in New York, recruited 421 college students in 2006. Two written questionnaires typically used to screen for alcohol abuse or substance-related disorders were modified to evaluate students for addiction to indoor tanning. Participants were also assessed using standardized measures of anxiety, depression and substance use.
Among 229 participants who had used indoor tanning facilities, the average number of visits in the past year was 23, the researchers found. Out of two measures of addiction, 39 percent of students met criteria for tanning addiction on one, and 31 percent met criteria on the other, Mosher and Danoff-Burg said. Students who met the criteria were also found to be likelier to report symptoms of anxiety and use of alcohol, marijuana and other substances.
The “results suggest that treating an underlying mood disorder may be a necessary step in reducing skin cancer risk among those who frequently tan indoors,” the authors wrote. “Researchers have hypothesized that those who tan regularly year round may require more intensive intervention efforts, such as motivational interviewing,” they continued.
“Further research should evaluate the usefulness of incorporating a brief anxiety and depression screening for individuals who tan indoors. Patients with anxiety or depression could be referred to mental health professionals for diagnosis and treatment.”
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